Ardian-backed Kersia acquires Manchester-based Holchem
French firm Kersia, a global leader in biosecurity and food safety, announces the completion of the acquisition of Holchem from Ecolab.
With this important milestone, Kersia becomes a leader in the UK hygiene sector and the second largest player in Europe. Holchem will join Kersia’s global operations platform that spans from Northern Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and China.
The Holchem acquisition is being supported by additional capital from Ardian, one of the world’s leading private investment houses.
Based near Manchester, Holchem is the leading provider of hygiene and food safety solutions and technology in the UK. A large majority of the company’s sales are directed to the food,beverage and dairy industries, with additional sales to the food service, retail, institutional and farm sectors.
With a turnover of approximately €55 million, Holchem operates from two industrial sites located in Bury and Liphook, primarily serving the UK market.
Joined together, Kersia and Holchem will be able to benefit from major growth opportunities in the context of high global health and food safety standards, which are continuously rising. In the UK market, Kersia and Holchem are truly complementarity, both in terms of geographies and sectors, offering an important synergy opportunity, especially as country-specific standards and customer requirements become increasingly more stringent.
Both companies share common values via their strong focus on environment and social responsibility and offer innovative digital solutions to enable their clients’ productivity.